Joined: October 20th, 2004, 4:16 pmPosts: 10408Location: Where ever I'm at now

Post Your 2013 Lions Draft Grades

So here's my review of the Lions 2013 Draft, and how I feel about each pick plus the overall results.Round 1 - DE Ezekial AnsahI like his size and his athletic ability. That's stuff you can't teach. But one has to wonder if a fifth overall pick should be so raw. Certainly other teams have selected raw prospects early in the first round, to mixed results. Ansah has drawn comparisons to Jason Pierre-Paul. Should he play to that level, the Lions will have a steal on their hands. My feelings are that top ten picks shouldn't be projects. The Lions coaching staff worked with Ansah at the Senior Bowl and came away impressed with how he translated what he was taught in practice into a successful showing in the game. If it sounds like I am on the fence of calling it a good pick or a bad pick, you're right. I like the player, but am not crazy about taking him that early.GRADE: B-

Round 2 - CB Darius SlayHe has a great deal of speed, but despite that his team mate was considered a higher rated prospect. Jonathan Banks is bigger and more physical, but Slay has greater recovery speed and more athletic potential. I am not a big fan of this pick, because straight speed means little to a cornerback. They rarely run forward in a straight line for so long a distance. His knee injury isn't a concern. What is a concern is his questionable ball skills and instincts. I feel Banks would have been a better pick, particularly for a team that needs physical corners who can knock opposing receivers off the line and disrupt timing, giving the rush (where most of the picks and salary money is spent) time to reach the quarterback. It's not a bad pick, but certainly isn't the best player they could have had, even at the position.GRADE: D

Round 3 - OG Larry WarfordThe Lions finally are willing to admit, via this draft pick, that the guard position holds some value for their team. Warford is a mauler who plays with a nasty attitude. He won't be pulling for the Lions, but he has more than enough size to take on some of the bigger DTs in the league and not get pushed around. He'll need to polish his technique and likely the Lions will work with him so that he can develop some quicker feet. But there's not a doubt this kid is a day one starter at right guard.GRADE: A-

Round 4 - DE Devin TaylorThe Lions go to the defensive end position for the second time in the draft, once again preferring potential over college productivity. At 6'7" and 270 lbs. Taylor is a physical specimen to be reckoned with. He has a frame that can accept more muscle, which should help his pass rush ability in the NFL. His weaknesses are something that can be corrected with NFL coaching. He will have to develop more speed off the snap, but the potential is there. His long arms and great height will come in handy on kick blocking assigments.GRADE: B-

Round 5 - P Sam MartinSome of the people criticizing this pick are the some ones who complained about the Lions punting game last year. Pick a path people. Either you want improvement, or you want status quo. You can't have both. Martin has a big leg and can only get better. He needs to work on control and ball placement in punting. His kick off ability is such that the Lions can choose to allow a return, or he can kick the ball right through the end zone. Some would say he was a reach this early, but late in a game with a small lead, the punting game might very well make the difference. Not a sexy pick, but definitely a necessary one for the team to make.GRADE: B+

Round 6 - WR Corey FullerWe can't expect that a sixth round pick will be an immediate starter, but Fuller has the potential to be the player the Lions have been searching for to take pressure off Calvin Johnson. He has good height, excellent deep speed and doesn't lose speed out of his cuts. This former track star still needs to work on catching the ball better with hands, using his hands to create separation, and being more physical as a blocker. Still, taken in the sixth round, Fuller could be the best value pick this team made in 2013.GRADE: A

Round 6 - RB Theo RiddickA high school back that was moved to receiver for a couple seasons at Notre Dame, he spent a great deal more time in the backfield his senior season. Riddick is fast, and catches the ball well as a result of his years at receiver. He is far better suited to be a running back in the NFL, particularly as a third down back. He has some skill as a pass protector, but needs to learn how to anchor himself better against blitzers. This is a pick that to me makes little sense. The Lions have a trio of good running backs in Reggie Bush, Mikael LeShoure and Joique Bell. Spending a pick on a fourth back where needs existed on offensive line and at linebacker seems puzzling to me. Still, Riddick could make the roster since the Lions carry four backs.GRADE: C

Round 7 - TE Michael WilliamsWith the loss of Will Heller the Lions were in the market for a tight end. Williams is likely to see time as an H back in the Lions offense, but could also be used as a second in line blocker on the line. At 280 lbs. he has the size to seal the edge and is effective as a run blocker. He has good hands, but lacks speed and explosion off the line. He will be a good red zone option as a receiver since he has reliable hands and can use his frame to block out defenders. I think this was a solid pick and fits the spot vacated by Will Heller.GRADE: B+

Round 7 - LB Brandon HepburnWith a degree in biochemistry and his work towards a Masters Degree, Hepburn certainly has the intelligence to play the position. He was a walk on at Florida A&M, but eventually became a team leader and its leading tackler his senior season. He plays a good all around game, but lacks the ideal physical skills to be more than a backup and special teams player.GRADE: C

The Lions seems to have begun trying to combine selecting the best player available with filling areas of need. All I can say is, it's about time. The draft is about accumulating talent, but it should also be about building the future of your franchise. Ansah and Taylor could prove to be the future at the defensive end position, while Slay and Warford should strongly contend for starting spots at two more positions of need. Corey Fuller could provide the "eraser" that Mayhew and Schwartz have been looking for. Certainly Riddick, Williams and Hepburn won't contend for starting positions and could carve out a career as backups and special teams players. Riddick in particular could be used as a returner. Sam Martin is likely to be penciled in as the teams starting punter and kick off specialist. To me, it seems the Lions may have four immediate starters out of this draft, and that would be tremendously impressive if it comes true.OVERALL GRADE: B

_________________I will not put on blinders when it comes to our QBs performances.

April 28th, 2013, 3:19 pm

DJ-B

Pro Bowl Player

Joined: April 5th, 2007, 5:51 pmPosts: 2578

Re: Post Your 2013 Lions Draft Grades

Love the breakdown m2k, and agree with almost everything except Slay. It was pretty obvious by the draft that most teams valued slay over Banks, and I am glad they chose him. He or Jamar Taylor were the only 2 CBs I liked at that spot as a few others have mentioned. Taylor for the Phsyciality and Slay for the deep cover speed (Which IMO was the bigger issue in 2012... Receivers blowing by our fill in street corner DBs). Not everyone loves stats, but with Dbs they often don't lie, and while Banks was the more famous of the pau at MSST Slay was the better CB and the metrics prove it. On top of which, while he can work on his Ball Skills, he had more INTs than Banks in 2011 when banks got recognized in the 1st place which is why he was the more heralded prosepct all year. Banks IMO was an overrated prospect and Slay was an underrated prospect, and I thinkl they went about where they should have. Not calling it a homerun at #36 (a HR would have been Trufant or Rhodes falling to that spot whichw as highly unlikely) but id still give it a solid B / B+ even. He does lack in experience at the high level system but performed excellent in the SEC last year which is THE Speed conference of the NCAA.

Here an except or the comparison by KC Joyner:

Quote:

It starts with his far superior metrics. As noted in a January ESPN Insider article on the college players who will be most difficult to replace, "In the Bulldogs' nine games against BCS conference foes, Banks was targeted for 20 passes and allowed 12 completions for 229 yards and three touchdowns. That equates to an unacceptable 11.5 YPA -- and none of those throws were intercepted. By contrast, Slay was targeted 26 times in those same contests and allowed eight completions for 143 yards (5.5 YPA) and two touchdowns while generating two interceptions. It is also worth noting that Slay, not Banks, led Mississippi State in picks in 2011."

At the end of that article Joyner says he might be available in the 3rd, but produce as a 1st-2nd round prospect, but clearly indicates he believe him to be better than banks but the article came out April 16th, and after ppl pointing it out he quickly began rising on many boards and became a fringer 1st round prospect. he was invited to attend the draft for a reason.

- Overall though, thanks for the great breakddown. As I agree with the rest of your analyses as pretty spot on i wont be posting my own

I agree with most of what you had there, but I think your pretty off on Slay. By the time the draft came around it was pretty split who was the better prospect between Slay and Banks. Banks is the taller of the two, but Slay is the heavier one and strength is a concern for both because neither is very powerful. They both were willing tacklers and played very little press coverage. Over the course of the season Slay gave up less yardage per pass than Banks even though he was targeted more and as expected from the more targets he had more INTs, Slay was tied for INT leader in the SEC with 5. His ball skills aren't in question as he was a former basket ball player and high points well, but does look to cause drops more than go for the INT. His instincts are still raw since he only started one season in the SEC, but he still outplayed his more experienced and more finished partner. He also can be used a return man. It absolutely was not certain he wasn't the best CB available at the pick, all the CBs taken in the second round were grouped pretty evenly by the time of the draft.

Rd 1 - Ansah - I like the player and his potential but not the Lions ability to develop it. I feel the Lions could've moved back and at minimum taken the same compensation that STL gave BUF to come up to 8. At the 16 spot they could have taken a safer pick at DE that would contribute more in the short term and have less chance of busting as well as landing an additional 2nd round pick. Alternatively they could have gone with Milliner and gone DE in Rd 2 with a "safer" prospect like Carradine. Grade: C

Rd 2 - Slay - He's a very fluid athlete, just bc of his excellent straight line speed one shouldnt assume he cant turn and run or change directions. He played 2 years at D1 level in a great conference so Im less concerned about his experience. He s a much better athlete and player than Banks, towards the end of his final season, teams started going after Banks and staying away from Slay. The only other corner I would have considered here would be Jamar Taylor from Boise who went later in the round. Grade: A

Rd 3 - Warford - Warford is an immediate upgrade over Peterman and the Lions need to add something to the OL after losing three starters. I thought Dallas Thomas though was a better fit for the Lions scheme. Still he should be able to improve the interior pass protection and open up some holes even if he doesnt fit a zone blocking scheme that would help new acquisiton Bush. Grade: B-

Rd 4 - Taylor - Taylor is an outstanding athlete in a gym but doesnt play like one on the football field. The argument might be that with Fairley, Suh and Ansah drawing attention Taylor will be able to make some plays but he didnt do so with great players alongside him in college and actually became less productive later in his career. Grade: D-

Rd 5 - Martin - The Lions really needed a punter and took one. Martin can help but the fact that he s taken in rd 5 and that no additional punters were taken makes one wonder about the value. Brad Wing is probably a better punter that went undrafted but the Lions werent chasing him with drug problems. Another case of the Lions own problems as an organization making it difficult for them to maximize the talent they bring in. Grade: B-

Rd 6 - Fuller - Fuller has some speed, decent size and not a lot of red flags. He ll need to be developed but its a decent pick here. There will be pressure from fans to see Fuller on the field bc we desperately need a No 2 WR. I think he went right around where he was supposed to go in the draft so I wont go overboard with the grade. Grade: B

Rd 6 - Riddick. Im not sure the need for another back but the ability to play out of the slot is intriguing though the Lions never developed that with Aaron Brown in past season's. Grade: C-

Rd 7 - Williams. He should be able to make the team and contribute possibly even this season. I dont think he ll ever be much more than that but thats not bad in Rd 7. Still, wouldnt it be better to gamble on players in Rd 7 than in the top 5? Grade : B+

Rd 7 - Hepburn. I dont know that he adds anything more than T. Lewis or Whiteside already provide especially since they have a year of experience on him and played at bigger schools. He might make the back end of the team but doesnt seem to have a lot of upside. Grade: D

Rd 1 - Ansah - I like the player and his potential but not the Lions ability to develop it. I feel the Lions could've moved back and at minimum taken the same compensation that STL gave BUF to come up to 8. At the 16 spot they could have taken a safer pick at DE that would contribute more in the short term and have less chance of busting as well as landing an additional 2nd round pick. Alternatively they could have gone with Milliner and gone DE in Rd 2 with a "safer" prospect like Carradine. Grade: C

Rd 2 - Slay - He's a very fluid athlete, just bc of his excellent straight line speed one shouldnt assume he cant turn and run or change directions. He played 2 years at D1 level in a great conference so Im less concerned about his experience. He s a much better athlete and player than Banks, towards the end of his final season, teams started going after Banks and staying away from Slay. The only other corner I would have considered here would be Jamar Taylor from Boise who went later in the round. Grade: A

Rd 3 - Warford - Warford is an immediate upgrade over Peterman and the Lions need to add something to the OL after losing three starters. I thought Dallas Thomas though was a better fit for the Lions scheme. Still he should be able to improve the interior pass protection and open up some holes even if he doesnt fit a zone blocking scheme that would help new acquisiton Bush. Grade: B-

Rd 4 - Taylor - Taylor is an outstanding athlete in a gym but doesnt play like one on the football field. The argument might be that with Fairley, Suh and Ansah drawing attention Taylor will be able to make some plays but he didnt do so with great players alongside him in college and actually became less productive later in his career. Grade: D-

Rd 5 - Martin - The Lions really needed a punter and took one. Martin can help but the fact that he s taken in rd 5 and that no additional punters were taken makes one wonder about the value. Brad Wing is probably a better punter that went undrafted but the Lions werent chasing him with drug problems. Another case of the Lions own problems as an organization making it difficult for them to maximize the talent they bring in. Grade: B-

Rd 6 - Fuller - Fuller has some speed, decent size and not a lot of red flags. He ll need to be developed but its a decent pick here. There will be pressure from fans to see Fuller on the field bc we desperately need a No 2 WR. I think he went right around where he was supposed to go in the draft so I wont go overboard with the grade. Grade: B

Rd 6 - Riddick. Im not sure the need for another back but the ability to play out of the slot is intriguing though the Lions never developed that with Aaron Brown in past season's. Grade: C-

Rd 7 - Williams. He should be able to make the team and contribute possibly even this season. I dont think he ll ever be much more than that but thats not bad in Rd 7. Still, wouldnt it be better to gamble on players in Rd 7 than in the top 5? Grade : B+

Rd 7 - Hepburn. I dont know that he adds anything more than T. Lewis or Whiteside already provide especially since they have a year of experience on him and played at bigger schools. He might make the back end of the team but doesnt seem to have a lot of upside. Grade: D

Sorry Legend it always seems like I'm against everything you say.

Ansah - You say they could have taken what BUF got for Austin, but there would have been no reason for STL to call the Lions. BUF and NYJ were the only teams thought to have serious interest in Austin and at the earliest the would have needed to call about the pick was the pick after the Lions. Milliner may have drawn some interest, but it would have been from a team like the Falcons and that would have but them way to low in the first round for what the Falcons could have offered in compensation for this year. Taking Milliner may have been a safer pick in the first, but relying on Carradine is not safe in any way. Carradine is coming off an ACL and they already had the Broyles pick blow up on them last season. Ignore all the debating we did about whether Hunt fit the scheme or not taking him as your pass rusher is in no way safer than Ansah due to being equally inexperienced. For the Lions missing on the second rounder will be just as damaging as missing on the 1st, so why not just take the guy with the higher ceiling?

Warford - I think you basically have the rating right on the pick, but your reasons for downgrading it don't make sense to me. Bush was let go from Miami partly because they didn't feel he would fit their change to a zone blocking scheme. Also the Lions don't use a zone blocking scheme, so the idea Warford isn't an ideal fit is wrong. Warford matches the body type of Peterman and is very similar to the types of RGs Schwartz would have seen in TEN.

Taylor - He had his stock high because of what he did in the East West Shrine game where he had multiple sacks and a forced fumble. He was said to have dominated the entire game and in every practice. I find his production a little concerning, but he did not play along side great players in college. Taylor played with a dominate player in Clowney, their DTs were nothing special. Taylor has mentioned in an interview both himself and Clowney were doubled all year. That doesn't fully excuse his lack of production, but his previous three seasons look a lot like Michael Johnson's first 3 college seasons who he matches physically.

April 28th, 2013, 8:46 pm

wjb21ndtown

Re: Post Your 2013 Lions Draft Grades

Round 1 - DE Ezekial Ansah[/b]I like his size and his athletic ability. That's stuff you can't teach. But one has to wonder if a fifth overall pick should be so raw. Certainly other teams have selected raw prospects early in the first round, to mixed results. Ansah has drawn comparisons to Jason Pierre-Paul. Should he play to that level, the Lions will have a steal on their hands. My feelings are that top ten picks shouldn't be projects. The Lions coaching staff worked with Ansah at the Senior Bowl and came away impressed with how he translated what he was taught in practice into a successful showing in the game. If it sounds like I am on the fence of calling it a good pick or a bad pick, you're right. I like the player, but am not crazy about taking him that early.GRADE: B-

Agree

Round 2 - CB Darius SlayHe has a great deal of speed, but despite that his team mate was considered a higher rated prospect. Jonathan Banks is bigger and more physical, but Slay has greater recovery speed and more athletic potential. I am not a big fan of this pick, because straight speed means little to a cornerback. They rarely run forward in a straight line for so long a distance. His knee injury isn't a concern. What is a concern is his questionable ball skills and instincts. I feel Banks would have been a better pick, particularly for a team that needs physical corners who can knock opposing receivers off the line and disrupt timing, giving the rush (where most of the picks and salary money is spent) time to reach the quarterback. It's not a bad pick, but certainly isn't the best player they could have had, even at the position.GRADE: D

I give this pick a C+

I don't mind the pick, but I think Banks or Taylor would have been better.

Round 3 - OG Larry WarfordThe Lions finally are willing to admit, via this draft pick, that the guard position holds some value for their team. Warford is a mauler who plays with a nasty attitude. He won't be pulling for the Lions, but he has more than enough size to take on some of the bigger DTs in the league and not get pushed around. He'll need to polish his technique and likely the Lions will work with him so that he can develop some quicker feet. But there's not a doubt this kid is a day one starter at right guard.GRADE: A-

Agree

Round 4 - DE Devin TaylorThe Lions go to the defensive end position for the second time in the draft, once again preferring potential over college productivity. At 6'7" and 270 lbs. Taylor is a physical specimen to be reckoned with. He has a frame that can accept more muscle, which should help his pass rush ability in the NFL. His weaknesses are something that can be corrected with NFL coaching. He will have to develop more speed off the snap, but the potential is there. His long arms and great height will come in handy on kick blocking assigments.GRADE: B-

Don't like this pick. I would have rather we picked Kenny Stills here. I wanted a more polished WR, but I do like the Fuller pick.

My grade D+

Round 5 - P Sam MartinSome of the people criticizing this pick are the some ones who complained about the Lions punting game last year. Pick a path people. Either you want improvement, or you want status quo. You can't have both. Martin has a big leg and can only get better. He needs to work on control and ball placement in punting. His kick off ability is such that the Lions can choose to allow a return, or he can kick the ball right through the end zone. Some would say he was a reach this early, but late in a game with a small lead, the punting game might very well make the difference. Not a sexy pick, but definitely a necessary one for the team to make.GRADE: B+

I hate this damn pick. I can complain about our punting game last year AND this pick. One of only two drafted punters, IMO he would have been a UDFA, and we drafted him in the 5th. Stills, Ellington, or Rambo, IMO, would have been bette picks.

My grade: BIG SOLID FAIL!!! F

Round 6 - WR Corey FullerWe can't expect that a sixth round pick will be an immediate starter, but Fuller has the potential to be the player the Lions have been searching for to take pressure off Calvin Johnson. He has good height, excellent deep speed and doesn't lose speed out of his cuts. This former track star still needs to work on catching the ball better with hands, using his hands to create separation, and being more physical as a blocker. Still, taken in the sixth round, Fuller could be the best value pick this team made in 2013.GRADE: A

Agree

Round 6 - RB Theo RiddickA high school back that was moved to receiver for a couple seasons at Notre Dame, he spent a great deal more time in the backfield his senior season. Riddick is fast, and catches the ball well as a result of his years at receiver. He is far better suited to be a running back in the NFL, particularly as a third down back. He has some skill as a pass protector, but needs to learn how to anchor himself better against blitzers. This is a pick that to me makes little sense. The Lions have a trio of good running backs in Reggie Bush, Mikael LeShoure and Joique Bell. Spending a pick on a fourth back where needs existed on offensive line and at linebacker seems puzzling to me. Still, Riddick could make the roster since the Lions carry four backs.GRADE: C

Slow POS RB that's supposed to return kicks with 4.68 speed?

Garbage pick. FAIL... My grade: F

Round 7 - TE Michael WilliamsWith the loss of Will Heller the Lions were in the market for a tight end. Williams is likely to see time as an H back in the Lions offense, but could also be used as a second in line blocker on the line. At 280 lbs. he has the size to seal the edge and is effective as a run blocker. He has good hands, but lacks speed and explosion off the line. He will be a good red zone option as a receiver since he has reliable hands and can use his frame to block out defenders. I think this was a solid pick and fits the spot vacated by Will Heller.GRADE: B+

Agree

Round 7 - LB Brandon HepburnWith a degree in biochemistry and his work towards a Masters Degree, Hepburn certainly has the intelligence to play the position. He was a walk on at Florida A&M, but eventually became a team leader and its leading tackler his senior season. He plays a good all around game, but lacks the ideal physical skills to be more than a backup and special teams player.GRADE: C

Agree

I do like Pough and Reddick better though...

The Lions seems to have begun trying to combine selecting the best player available with filling areas of need. All I can say is, it's about time. The draft is about accumulating talent, but it should also be about building the future of your franchise. Ansah and Taylor could prove to be the future at the defensive end position, while Slay and Warford should strongly contend for starting spots at two more positions of need. Corey Fuller could provide the "eraser" that Mayhew and Schwartz have been looking for. Certainly Riddick, Williams and Hepburn won't contend for starting positions and could carve out a career as backups and special teams players. Riddick in particular could be used as a returner. Sam Martin is likely to be penciled in as the teams starting punter and kick off specialist. To me, it seems the Lions may have four immediate starters out of this draft, and that would be tremendously impressive if it comes true.OVERALL GRADE: B[/quote]

My overall grade would be a C+

April 28th, 2013, 9:24 pm

liontrax

NFL Team Captain

Joined: March 21st, 2005, 2:11 pmPosts: 1584Location: Wolverine, Mi.

Re: Post Your 2013 Lions Draft Grades

Ziggy Ansah - Huge upside and everyone refers to JPP as a comparison. I think he could be better than JPP, more versatile, better speed. But, that being said I give them a B+, only reason it's not higher is because this was the obvious selection.

Darius Slay - Maybe the fastest, and one of the best cover corners in this years draft, that should only improve with pro coaching. A

Larry Warford - One of the best pure power Guards in the draft. If he played for Bama or another high ranked team, he would have carried a higher pre-draft grade. A

Devin Taylor - I get the potential, and if he pans out, we'll have two enormous DE's for QB's to try and throw over. But , have to say I was disappointed with the pick. C

Sam Martin - Sorry, I just don't believe in wasting draft picks on kickers. Plenty to be found as PFA's after the draft. E (should have taken a Tackle, any Tackle)

Corey Fuller - This was an excellent pick at this point in the draft. Kid has great potential and huge upside. A

Theo Riddick - After a little post draft scrutiny, realize this was a solid pick. B-

Warford - I think you basically have the rating right on the pick, but your reasons for downgrading it don't make sense to me. Bush was let go from Miami partly because they didn't feel he would fit their change to a zone blocking scheme. Also the Lions don't use a zone blocking scheme, so the idea Warford isn't an ideal fit is wrong. Warford matches the body type of Peterman and is very similar to the types of RGs Schwartz would have seen in TEN.

i disagree, peterman in his prime was a much difft type of athlete. 4.9, 40 yd dash, more agility and more of a solid build. warford looks sloppy, he s an overpowering guard with his mass who cant get up to the 2nd level or move around on screens the way peterman used to. linehan used a lot of zone schemes for best 2 and 3 years ago and i figure it will be the same with bush as it was with michael bennett before that in minnesota. not exclusively but they willl plenty. i dont care what was going on in tennessee bc schwartz had no say with the offense there. linehan runs the show on offense and schwartz makes some executive decisions during games like when to go for 4th downs, kill clock, be aggressive, etc. when it comes to the xo's and personnel they SHOULD follow more what linehan did in minnesota than fisher's titans. i dont think warford will be better than the few good years that peterman provided for the lions earlier in his career but warford is better than peterman right now.

Quote:

Taylor - He had his stock high because of what he did in the East West Shrine game where he had multiple sacks and a forced fumble. He was said to have dominated the entire game and in every practice. I find his production a little concerning, but he did not play along side great players in college. Taylor played with a dominate player in Clowney, their DTs were nothing special. Taylor has mentioned in an interview both himself and Clowney were doubled all year. That doesn't fully excuse his lack of production, but his previous three seasons look a lot like Michael Johnson's first 3 college seasons who he matches physically

he played with clowney who got more attention and the year before they had ingram and clowner? thats not great players? taylor is a bad player - watch his tape. east-west shrine game doesnt attract the top prospects, gets a fair number from smaller schools and even D2. i would equate the amount of stock you are putting in that game with someone who puts a lot of stock in how someone does late in NFL preseason games. yes, its intriguing but far from a sure fire predictor of nfl success. i love watching jadeveon clowney so i watched a lot of south carolina this past season. i liked there safeties sweringer and holloman (who should be a good NFL LB) who went in this draft also but I had a really low opinion of Taylor - who I also followed bc they expected a lot from him this past season. watching him play, not only does he lack suddenness but he also has a very low football IQ, easily fooled and rarely seems to understand how the offense is attacking him - which offenses did often this past season.

Last edited by The Legend on April 28th, 2013, 11:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Quin and Delmas will be fine and when Delmas gets hurt Don Carey is a competent starter. Carey had the same amount of INTs in his 9 games as Quin had all season and just like Quin he's a converted CB.

April 28th, 2013, 11:15 pm

m2karateman

RIP Killer

Joined: October 20th, 2004, 4:16 pmPosts: 10408Location: Where ever I'm at now

Re: Post Your 2013 Lions Draft Grades

With the Lions keeping (typically) four safeties, I don't see Spievey making the roster. Concussion history, benching for poor play and the fact that he can't play special teams will likely spell his release. That is, unless Quin or Delmas get injured prior to the first game.

Wendling will likely be kept for his special teams play. I think Silva or Carey get the nod over Spievey.

_________________I will not put on blinders when it comes to our QBs performances.

April 28th, 2013, 11:22 pm

wjb21ndtown

Re: Post Your 2013 Lions Draft Grades

m2karateman wrote:

With the Lions keeping (typically) four safeties, I don't see Spievey making the roster. Concussion history, benching for poor play and the fact that he can't play special teams will likely spell his release. That is, unless Quin or Delmas get injured prior to the first game.

Wendling will likely be kept for his special teams play. I think Silva or Carey get the nod over Spievey.

Warford - I think you basically have the rating right on the pick, but your reasons for downgrading it don't make sense to me. Bush was let go from Miami partly because they didn't feel he would fit their change to a zone blocking scheme. Also the Lions don't use a zone blocking scheme, so the idea Warford isn't an ideal fit is wrong. Warford matches the body type of Peterman and is very similar to the types of RGs Schwartz would have seen in TEN.

i disagree, peterman in his prime was a much difft type of athlete. 4.9, 40 yd dash, more agility and more of a solid build. warford looks sloppy, he s an overpowering guard with his mass who cant get up to the 2nd level or move around on screens the way peterman used to. linehan used a lot of zone schemes for best 2 and 3 years ago and i figure it will be the same with bush as it was with michael bennett before that in minnesota. not exclusively but they willl plenty. i dont care what was going on in tennessee bc schwartz had no say with the offense there. linehan runs the show on offense and schwartz makes some executive decisions during games like when to go for 4th downs, kill clock, be aggressive, etc. when it comes to the xo's and personnel they SHOULD follow more what linehan did in minnesota than fisher's titans. i dont think warford will be better than the few good years that peterman provided for the lions earlier in his career but warford is better than peterman right now.

Quote:

Taylor - He had his stock high because of what he did in the East West Shrine game where he had multiple sacks and a forced fumble. He was said to have dominated the entire game and in every practice. I find his production a little concerning, but he did not play along side great players in college. Taylor played with a dominate player in Clowney, their DTs were nothing special. Taylor has mentioned in an interview both himself and Clowney were doubled all year. That doesn't fully excuse his lack of production, but his previous three seasons look a lot like Michael Johnson's first 3 college seasons who he matches physically

he played with clowney who got more attention and the year before they had ingram and clowner? thats not great players? taylor is a bad player - watch his tape. east-west shrine game doesnt attract the top prospects, gets a fair number from smaller schools and even D2. i would equate the amount of stock you are putting in that game with someone who puts a lot of stock in how someone does late in NFL preseason games. yes, its intriguing but far from a sure fire predictor of nfl success. i love watching jadeveon clowney so i watched a lot of south carolina this past season. i liked there safeties sweringer and holloman (who should be a good NFL LB) who went in this draft also but I had a really low opinion of Taylor - who I also followed bc they expected a lot from him this past season. watching him play, not only does he lack suddenness but he also has a very low football IQ, easily fooled and rarely seems to understand how the offense is attacking him - which offenses did often this past season.

The Lions don't use Zone blocking schemes. They run a man power scheme and it's one of the main reasons Raiola gets blown up on so many plays. What Stephen Peterman are you talking about? He ran a 5.46 40, it also doesn't matter what he looked like before Schwartz got to the Lions. He's been a 330 lbs space hog for Schwartz and Linehan. Also it very much matters what Schwartz saw in TEN because unfortunately he's helping make personnel decisions in the draft.